Display-box.



PATENTED JUNE 16. 1903.

F. W. SMITH.

DISPLAY Box.

APPLIOATION I'ILED JAN. 2, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Tn: uunms PETERS :0, monnrmo" WASHINGTON o c UNITED STATES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS W. SMITH, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW J ERSEYQ DISPLAY-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 731,237, dated June 16, 1903. Application filed January 2, 1903. Serial No. 137,414. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS-W. SMITH, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display- Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rectangular boxes usually made of sheet metal and adapted to contain articles of merchandise, such as crackers or cakes, and to display a portion of themerchandise through an opening in one side of the box, said opening being covered by a plate of glass or other transparent material. provide a second opening in the same side of the box with the display or glass-covered opening, said second opening being covered by a removable plate bearing on its outer side the name or trade-mark of the goods or other information, said plate being hereinafter referred to as the sign-plate.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of a box of this character, including means for detachably holding the sign-plate and the transparent plate in place in position to cover the respective openings, the improved construction being of such nature as to permit ready removal of the said plates for the purpose of cleaning the same and free access to all parts of the interior of the box without providing pockets for the lodgment of crumbs, &c.

The invention consistsin the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim. 5

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a box embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, said view showing one side of the box and portions of the adjacent sides, the remainder of the box being broken away. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking toward the left. Fig. 4: represents a perspective view of the portion of the box shown in Fig. 2. Fig.

5 represents an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

In this class of boxes it is common to the upper portion of the glass plate 0.

The same reference characters indicate'the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents the front of a box adapted to contain crackers, small cakes, &c., said front being preferably made of sheet metal and provided with an upper opening a and a lower opening 0. the material of the front forming the margins of said openings being bent inwardly to form beveled flanges surrounding said openings.

b represents a sign-plate, preferably a piece of sheet metal, formed to cover the opening a, and 0 represents a transparent plate, preferably of glass, formed to cover the opening a Means are provided for detachably holding said plates within the box in position to cover the respective openings, said means comprising guides g g, aftixedto the front piece a at the ends of the upper opening a, said guides being formed to engage the ends of the sign-plate b, a stop (1, affixed to the bottom of the box and adapted'to engage the lower portion of the glass plate 0,-and a locking-dog e, hinged to the interior of the box and having an arm e,

adapted to bear on the inner side of the signnlate b, the said dog being adapted to engage The guides g g are pieces of sheet metal bent at their ends to form flanges g, which are solderedor otherwise secured to the front piece a, the lower edges of the guides g being preferably rolled to form sockets g which inclose a fixed horizontal rod f, affixed at its end to the front piece aandextending across the lower portion of the upper opening a. The dog e is preferably composed of a strip of sheet metal, having a tubular socket e ,,which incloses the central portion of the fixedv rod f and is adapted to turn thereon, the rod f and socket e constituting a hinge which permits the dog to swing. The arm e and the lower portion of the dog e are formed-to bear simultaneously upon the inner sides of the signplate 6 and the glass plate 0, respectively, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the arrangement being such that the bearing of the arm e against the sign-plate 12 holds the dog in engagement with the glass plate 0. When the sign-plate b is removed, the dog e is free to swing inwardly, and thus release the glass plate c. The dog 6 is provided with an oflfset-portion e forming a stop which limits the downward movement of the sign-plate b.

In applying the plates 0 and b to the box the plate 0 is first engaged at its lower portion with the step d, the dog 6 being swung out of place to permit the glass plate 0 to come to a bearing on the margin of the opening (1 a bearing on the plate a and the sign-plate b is inserted at its ends between the front piece a and the guides g g and moved downwardly outside the arm 6 until it reaches the stop e The arm 6 is sufficiently springy to be put under tension by the plate I), and thus caused to exert pressure on the dog e in a direction required to hold thedog against the glass plate 0. The removal of the sign-plate b, which may be accomplished by sliding it upwardly, releases the dog e, the latter releasing the glass plate 0. Hence the two plates may be quickly applied and removed.

It will be noticed that the guides 9 form spaces for the reception of the end portions of the sign-plate b, which spaces are open below as well as above, so that there is no opportunity for the lodgment of crumbs in said spaces.

I claim- 1. A box of the character stated having two display-openings in one of its sides, removable plates located within the box and adapted to cover said openings, and a movable locking-dog for one of said plates adapted to be held in its operative position bythe other plate, said dog being released by the removal of the last-mentioned plate.

2. A box of the character specified having two openings in one of its sides, removable plates located within the box and formed to cover said openings, and a hinged locking-dog for one of the plates, having an arm adapted to bear on the back of the other plate to hold the dog in its operative position, said arm and locking-dog being released by the removal of the last-mentioned plate.

3. A box of the character specified having two openings in one of its sides, end guides located behind the upper opening, a stop 10- The dog is then swung inwardly tocated below the lower opening, a removable transparent plate formed to cover the lower opening, its lower edge engaging said stop, a removable sign-plate formed to cover the upper opening, its ends engaging said guides, and a locking-dog formed to engage'the upper portion of the transparent plate and provided with an arm arranged to bear on the sign-plate to hold the dog in its operative position, the locking-dog being released by the removal of the sign-plate.

4. A box of the character specified having two openings in one of its sides, end guides located behind the upper opening, a stop located below the lower opening, a removable transparent plate formed to cover the lower opening, its lower edge engaging said stop, a removable sign-plate formed to cover the upper opening, its ends engaging said guides, and a locking-dog formed to engage the upper portion of the transparent plate and provided with an arm arranged to bear on the sign-plate to hold the dog in its operative position, the locking-dog having a stop to limit the downward movement of the sign-plate.

5. A box of the character specified having two openings in one of its sides, fixed guides within the box at the ends'of the upper opening, a fixed horizontal rod within the box extending across the lower portion of the upper opening, a locking-dog hinged to said rod and extending downwardly therefrom, a removable sign-plate formed to cover the upper opening and adapted to slide in said guides, and a removable transparent plate formed to cover the lower opening, the locking-dog being formed to engage the upper portion of the transparent plate to lock the same, and having a resilient arm formed to bear on the back of the sign-plate to maintain the dog in its operative position, the said dog havinga stop which limits the downward movement of the sign-plate.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANClS w. SMITH.

Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN, ADELINE O. RATIGAN. 

